Episode 2: A Warrior's Responsibilities

Sitting in an office at the top of Everlast Tower, Lee shifted awkwardly in his chair, still feeling uncomfortable in the suit that his uncle had provided him for the day – the blasted thing had apparently been Daisuke's when he had been his age, and it was too big in some places and too small in others! I really wish I'd taken him up on that offer to go buy a suit, Lee thought glumly, but no, I just couldn't have asked for that, could I have? A small sigh escaped his lips, which did not go unnoticed by his uncle.

"Lee, I already told you, Mr. Saigo will be here in a few moments. He called and said that he would be running a little late for the meeting," said Daisuke, not picking up on the true sense of his nephew's discomfort. "Trust me, I'm sure he's just as upset that he's late as you are. You should have heard him on the phone when I called him and said I was going to bring you here to meet him – I had to keep him from sending over his own personal car!" Daisuke chuckled and adjusted the tie and collar of his own suit. His face turned solemn as he turned his thoughts to his sister and her husband, his brother-in-law. "You're really the only link he has left to them, Lee, so I hope you too can get along. Did you know he was actually the one who paid for your trip here?"

"He actually did that?" Lee asked, shocked out of his own thoughts. He'd had no idea that his coming to Japan had all been based on this Masaya Saigo's generosity. Until now, he thought his uncle had managed to pay for it himself. "He really went through all that trouble just to be able to meet me…?

Daisuke nodded and smiled, leaning back in his chair with his hands folded behind his head. "Trust me, for Mr. Saigo, it was easy. The entire city of Yakubo basically owes him and Everlast its very existence. This was where he grew up when he was a kid, and by the time he'd formed Everlast the town was falling apart, so in he comes with a suitcase full of cash, a team of construction workers, and his own determination. The man single-handedly managed to turn this town around in all of two years."

"Ah, I don't believe I did it single-handedly, but I won't deny everything you said, Daisuke!"

As amusing as it was to see his uncle nearly fall out of his chair in surprise, Lee still found himself more compelled to look at the man who was standing in the doorway. He wore a steel gray suit with a red tie, the emblem of Everlast stamped on it in black: a circle made of DNA. His black hair was combed back, and he was starting to show signs of graying around his temples. His eyes, though, held a certain charisma to them, and his posture and style of walk made it seem as though he was coming into a room full of old friends, ready to discuss the past few years of their lives. "That'll be all for now, Junkichi. You may go now."

The man who had been standing behind him, clad in an all-black suit, nodded the affirmative. He was much taller than most Japanese men, standing well over six feet, causing him to cut a very imposing figure. The hair that had been gelled back to his neck and the black sunglasses that covered his eyes only added to the intimidation factor, Lee thought. "Very well. I'll be in the car should you need me." Reaching into the front pocket of his suit, Lee involuntarily tensed up as the man pulled out…

Isn't that one of those magical girl manga? Lee wondered, seeing the colorful front cover of the book the man was now reading. There was a large smile on the man's face as he walked away, closing the door as he left. Well, there goes the intimidation factor. "So, this young man is the child of my two closest friends!" the CEO of Everlast said as he strode across the room towards them, his arms held out to his sides.

Lee nodded, then got out of his chair and bowed. "Yes sir. I'm Lee- I mean, Leonard Steven-"

"Come now, I know your name already Lee! There's no need to introduce yourself to me, so stand up straight!" Masaya declared, with Lee immediately following his word. To his surprise, the man clamped his hands down on his shoulders and stared at him intensely, like he was trying to take in every single last detail. "Incredible… I can see both Adam and Kazumi in you. It's a pity you took so much after your father though!" The man chuckled at his joke and released Lee, walking past him to Daisuke. "And Daisuke, I can hardly thank you enough for giving me the idea to bring young Lee here over the sea so I could finally meet him. I assure you, if there are any additional expenses brought on you by him being here, I will pay them myself, in full!"

Daisuke's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, and he almost forgot to breathe. "I- Sir, I appreciate the offer, but there's no need for you to go so far for Lee and I!" Lee silently agreed, though in the back of his mind he was beginning to wonder if his living with his uncle actually was putting any financial strain on the man. Before he could even consider to voice this thought, Masaya loudly clapped his hands together.

"Nonsense!" he said in a booming voice. Stepping away from them and towards the windows that gave a beautiful view of both the city and the surrounding area, he clasped his hands behind his back. "While I do not take sole credit for the revitalization of my home, I will not deny that I and Everlast both aided in its revival! This company, the company that I built with my own two hands, was a creation which both Adam and Kazumi supported in full. They encouraged me every step of the way until I reached where I stand now, and without them I would never have found the success that I have and my beautiful home would be little more than a ghost town." Turning back to face the two of them, he smiled warmly. "I owe this company and my success to Adam and Kazumi, and I shall be damned for eternity before I allow any member of their family to go without aid, not if I can help it."

If Daisuke had been stunned by Masaya's offer, then Lee was absolutely floored by what the man had just declared. He really cares that much…? I… I just can't believe that this… this man is willing to do so much for me and Uncle Daisuke. Finally finding his voice, Lee managed to choke out, "Thank you, Mr. Saigo-"

"Please, don't call me that – call me Masaya, please."

"O-Okay, Masaya," Lee gulped nervously before continuing, still completely taken off guard by this man, "and I promise that both my uncle and myself will keep your offer in mind; we just don't want to take advantage of your generosity. I mean, you've already paid for my flight here; for me, there's nothing more you could really do. Honestly, I don't think I can thank you enough for giving me the chance to come here to Japan."

"Just a shame you had to come when you did," Daisuke sighed from beside him. "Man, I still can't get over what I heard on the news yesterday."

"Yes, the monster attack." Masaya's face turned grim and he looked over his shoulder, down towards Yakubo. "To think, monsters actually exist. And of all the places to attack, they choose my home, my glorious home. I think Junkichi was just as surprised as I was; according to him, monster attacks are only supposed to happen in Tokyo." He chuckled weakly at his joke before turning back to face the tow Hirayama's and sighed bitterly. "Unfortunately, due to yesterday's events, both the members of the board and Junkichi have recommended that I put off what I had planned for today for another time, and while I don't really care what the board has to say, Junkichi has been a good friend for quite some time and I can't really help but listen to his advice. I was so looking forwards to taking you on a personal tour of Yakubo, Lee, but I'm afraid it will have to wait until another day."

Lee shrugged. "I guess that's just life… Though I don't remember monster attacks happening back home, so maybe it isn't." As Masaya laughed at Lee's joke – and Lee mentally noted just how easy it seemed to make this man laugh – the young man inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. I promised Aya and Leo, that I'd meet them at the park. Glancing at a nearby clock, Lee winced as he saw he was already thirty minutes late.

It had only been a day since Lee had taken on the mantle of RaiLeon, and despite how quickly he acted in beating the moth monster, the damages that it, Zabon, and those black creatures – Imps, Lee reminded himself – had caused still had to be repaired, and several people had been hospitalized, either from monster attacks or from other people who had gone mad from the moth's dust. Earlier this morning Leo had practically ordered Lee to come with him so that they could train for future battles and so Leo could further explain the situation.

Lee had never been quite as scared as he had been that morning when he told Leo that he already had plans that couldn't be canceled that day.

After Leo's immense lightning-fueled tantrum, Aya had called, wanting to hang out. When he'd told her that he would be busy, she had been upset, until he let slip that Leo was going to talk about just who or what he was, and just who this 'Mithras' was. She immediately asked where and when it was going to happen, and, despite Leo protesting loud enough for Aya to hear over the phone, Lee had managed to make plans to meet up with them at twelve in a park that was relatively close to where yesterday's incident had occurred. He would be a little late at this rate, but he doubted that they'd be too mad.

"Of course, that doesn't mean I can't take you both out to eat at my favorite restaurant in town!"

Or, he could be in deep trouble with the both of them.

Grimacing as Masaya led both of them out of the office, Lee could only imagine what Aya and Leo were doing right now.


"So these… These 'cellular phones,' they allow you humans to talk with each other as if you were standing beside the other person?"

"Well, yeah pretty much, but they've also got a lot of other features. You can text each other, you can search the internet, watch videos, take pictures and videos, and play all kinds of games on them. They're really kinda cool!"

"Hmm… It seems as if you humans have just gotten lazier in the past few hundred years. A Guardian Beast would never allow themselves to be taken in by such a device. Such behavior would be disgraceful to our very name. Good to see that not much has changed, though; you humans always were something of a lazy bunch, using all of your abilities to make your own lives easier."

"Hey! …I'm not that lazy!"

"We shall see about that, though I doubt you will change my opinion. Now, about this 'internet,' I have one question: what kind of net is it?"


Malrok sighed wistfully as he looked around the Vault. It was a large cavern, with shelves dug into the sides of the wall. Lining the shelves were various Cores, all giving off different colors of light. As his eyes scanned over them all, he paused when he came to one empty spot, formerly the home of the Moth Guardian Beast's Core.

"Of course things would become complicated, wouldn't they?" he asked aloud. No response came; he didn't expect one, really. "It took me years, damnable decades, to collect all of these damnable Cores, and now, not only have I lost one, I've found that a living Guardian Beast has managed to escape my sight." He clutched at the tome in his hand tightly, anger beginning to build in his chest. "Our plans have only just begun; allowing this… RaiLeon to continue interfering would bring Lord Mithras nothing but trouble!"

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Immediately two Cores flew into his hand: one black as the night, with silver light radiating from it, and the other light tan mixed with dark green. Nodding in approval at his choices, he turned away, and began to exit the room.

"Malrok…"

"Lord Mithras!" The sorcerer froze in surprise, his back arching stiffly. Slowly turning on his heel, he saw a swirling black cloud materialize in the middle of the room, a red, eye-shaped jewel embedded in the center. Immediately he knelt down, crossing one arm over his chest. "Milord, I am your humble servant. To what do I owe the honor of being addressed by yourself personally?" Despite his words, Malrok could feel the panic welling inside of him. His worst fear was starting to catch up with him. He had not been granted permission to take the Cores from the Vault, but had only done so in order to ensure his Lord Mithras' prosperity. Surely Lord Mithras understood why he was taking the two Cores?

"I assume the two Cores that you have taken just now are for some plan of yours, aren't they?" Mithras' voice was slightly distorted by the cloud, though the cold, calculating tone that he always held could still be heard clear as day. "Tell me: does this have anything to do with the recent reappearance of the Lion Guardian Beast?"

"I felt it was imperative to act immediately, before this RaiLeon character is able to delay our plans."

"Do you believe that he is capable of doing so? Or perhaps you doubt my ability to handle the Guardian Beast and his Host should the time come…"

"Never, milord!" Malrok felt a pulse of fear run through his body as he realized what he had insinuated. "I have no doubts in my mind that you could crush RaiLeon with only an ounce of your power should the time come; I merely wish to end him now, so that we might be able to continue with our plans immediately."

The cloud was silent, with the eye-shaped jewel staring down at the sorcerer as if it were judging him. A deep, rumbling chuckle made Malrok lift his head, if only slightly. "Actions speak far louder than words, Malrok. I understand what it is you desire to accomplish, though I only have one question for you." The cloud moved closer to Malrok, and the sorcerer recoiled instinctively. "Do you know who it was who managed to mortally wound me centuries ago, ending my conquest and forcing me into slumber?" A choking sound escaped Malrok's throat as realization struck. "Take care in facing this one. I do not doubt the danger this RaiLeon may possess, and I have very few doubts that should he be allowed to gain more strength, he could very well become a true threat to my plans."

"Then should we not act now, milord? Should we not end him before he has the chance?"

Patience, my sorcerer." Mithras chuckled. "I do not deny what I have said to be true – I can easily foresee RaiLeon becoming a threat. Yet as it stands he is nothing more than a child learning to use his abilities. I shall allow him to continue to fight his meaningless battles; the moment I feel he has become a danger to my plans, I shall personally crush him." The cloud backed away from Malrok, wisps of smoke starting to come off of it. "For now, I will allow both you and Zabon to attempt to destroy him yourself. Consider it a bit of friendly competition to inspire fiercer devotion towards the cause."

"A-as you command, Lord Mithras," Malrok said with a low bow. The jeweled eye flashed, and the cloud vanished into wispy threads of black smoke. Still somewhat shaken, Malrok rose to his full height and looked appraisingly at the two Cores in his hand. "I cannot begin to understand why Lord Mithras would simply allow the Guardian Beast and its Host to continue living… but if he has chosen not to interfere directly, I shall not question his choice." Clutching the Cores tightly, the sorcerer brought his tome to his chest and exited the Vault, the massive doors slamming shut behind him.


Elsewhere in Mithras' fortress, the Emperor's throne room was completely silent, save for the crackling of fires. Torchlight lit the room, sconces connected to black pillars that led the way up to the throne itself. Hanging on the wall behind the throne was the black banner that heralded Mithras himself; emblazoned upon it in red was an open eye set inside of what appeared to be an upside down, stylized Y. Upon the throne itself was the Emperor of All He Sees, Mithras.

His body was covered in armor, the only openings on it at the helmet, where his eyes gazed out. Metal boots and leg metal covered his lower half, with black metal breaking it up at the knee; from his lower legs, just before the knee, a plate of metal extended out at an angle, tapering off to a point. His torso was clad in crimson, with the sides being completely black. Connected to the place where his shoulders met his body were curved plates of metal, with intricate designs carved into them. His arms were, again, completely clad in crimson armor, with the elbows being black. His hands, however, were covered in black metal; only the backs of his hands, up to his fingers, held any red. The helmet that donned his head had five horns crowning it: the two furthest from the sides curved outward slightly before returning inwards, while the centermost stood straight up. The two in between were shorter and straight light the centermost. His eyes were two small yellow lights that shone out from within the black void of his helmet.

Said eyes were currently focused on one of the hundreds of screens that filled the throne room, each formed from the same black smoke as the Eyes of Mithras that were showing him the images portrayed in each screen. The Eyes were a symbol of pride to him, and they had been undoubtedly important in his previous attempt at conquest. No one save for those he allowed to could see them, allowing him to see battlefields, war rooms, secret meetings – anything that may have proved of importance to him. They held other abilities as well, though the most important to him was their ability to reliably gather information for him.

Now, though, only two caught his active interest. One portrayed the young Host, sitting in a fancy restaurant in clear discomfort that somehow went unnoticed by the two older men sitting at the table with him, their meal just now coming to a close. "Still so young, and yet you've chosen to take up such a difficult role: that of a warrior. There are very few who would do so. What makes you different from the rest, Host?" His eyes strayed to the men sitting beside him. One seemed of little importance, and due to the familiarity that the young Host spoke with towards the man, Mithras assumed him to be of familial relation. The other, however, was a man who seemed to make both others slightly uncomfortable, which in conjunction with the sheer amount of confidence the man held in his tone and posture – as well as the fact that it appeared he was the one paying for the rather lavish meal – led Mithras to believe this was a man of power. "He seems to know the Host, and looks to be of some importance. I shall keep an Eye on him."

And with a flick of his wrist, Mithras indeed created another of his Eyes that began to float behind the man, another screen forming in the air.

Deciding he had seen enough of the Host, Mithras turned his attention to the other screen that had held his interest. It showed a young woman, dressed in red and white, talking to the Lion Guardian Beast. Not directly, of course – a lion sitting in the middle of a public area would no doubt cause quite the panic, and Mithras noted with some amusement that the young woman was speaking into her phone and was avoiding looking directly at the Guardian Beast. Still, he couldn't help but focus on the girl with interest. She was an anomaly, and Mithras always had a faint curiosity for those sorts of things that didn't quite line up in the grander scheme.

It was rare that a normal human could see a Guardian Beast, unless it purposefully revealed itself to them. Occasionally, a human would be capable of catching glimpses of a Guardian Beast in the edges of their vision, or they would see the residual energy a Beast Core released as it hibernated: phantom images that the human mind would somehow rationalize into ethereal shapes that resembled the human figure. In other words, ghosts.

Funnily enough, it had actually been these reports of these 'ghosts' appearing around the world that had led Malrok to finding and claiming a good majority of the Cores currently in their possession.

Still, it was rare for a human to be able to clearly see a Guardian Beast fully, such as this young woman. Such men and women rarely were seen as sane in days long past, when the Guardian Beasts were much greater in number and roamed the lands more freely, and fewer still found themselves able to cope with seeing these beings of fantastic might wandering about. Perhaps, Mithras mused, in some form of twisted irony, I have done a great service to humanity by defeating the Guardian Beasts. With so few able to be seen, the few humans with this gift are unable to be overwhelmed. A chuckle escaped him. Though I doubt any history of my deeds would agree with this view.

He forced any musings from his mind as something flickered in the image. Immediately he held up a hand, stopping the image. "Go back," he ordered, and the Eye obeyed. Its memory of the past few moments began to play again, and Mithras scrutinized every moment with a fervent intensity, his eyes darting about the images on the screen until-

"Incredible."

-he found what he was looking for.

It occurred only for a moment, but he had seen it. He replayed what had been happening on the screen in his mind's eye: the girl had been talking to the Guardian Beast, when the Beast had said something that had offended the girl, if the look on her face meant anything. At that moment, a faint red glow, barely visible, had wrapped itself around her clenched hand.

Mithras studied the image, his mind storing all of this information someplace where he would be able to reach it in the future. "It would appear that the young Host has made interesting friends," he noted, eyes fixated on the girl. "I shall be keeping watch over you for the time being. You may just prove to be more than you believe yourself to be."


Lee shuddered involuntarily as he sat on his bed, a feeling of imminent dread overtaking him. Oh, I am dead when Leo gets ahold of me… and then Aya's going to pulverize whatever's left of my spirit. A quick glance at his phone, which was currently connected to a charger that was plugged into the wall, helped to confirm his fears.

55 missed messages.

All of them from Aya.

None of them pleasant.

With a groan of frustration, Lee fell back onto his bed and shut his eyes. It seemed that someone had simply been out for his blood today. As if it weren't bad enough that Masaya had insisted, somewhat forcibly, that he treat him and Daisuke to lunch at a restaurant located on the other side of the city, Lee had found during a quick escape to the restroom that, much to his dismay, his phone had outright died at some point during the day. To make matters worse, he had a good idea as to why it had died.

Before he had left for Japan, his aunt, upon doing some research on the country her nephew was going to, had discovered that some appliances made in America may not work in Japan. So, out of the goodness of her heart, she informed him of this. As Lee was, at the time, a bit too worked up to think entirely rationally, he had immediately gone online and had ordered a phone charger that would supposedly work on his phone no matter what country he was in. And as a plus, it was being sold at a decent discount, so naturally he bought it.

Suffice it to say, upon returning to the apartment today, he had plugged his phone into the charger only to find out that it, in fact, was not charging his phone at all.

Daisuke had to physically restrain him from shoving it into the garbage disposal.

Stupid faulty discount charger, he thought bitterly. …Stupid faulty brain for thinking it would be a good idea to buy the stupid faulty discount charger.

The sound of something tapping on his window caught his attention, and, hesitantly, he craned his head up to see what it was.

Leo's feline eyes bored holes into him, and despite being a lion Lee could very well see the obvious irritation on the Guardian Beast's face. Swallowing a lump that had formed in his throat, Lee slowly got off of his bed and walked to the window. "Now Leo," he started, trying to keep his voice steady, "I know that you're not exactly happy with me for not showing up." Seeing the lion's expression darken further, Lee balked and held his hand up. "Okay, you're probably closer to extremely angry-"

"Try 'furious', maybe 'incensed', or perhaps 'slightly enraged', and you may get a better idea," Leo hissed, electricity flicking off his mane. He tapped a claw against the window pane again. "Open this window, now!" With a growl, he added, "Before I decide to break it."

Eyes widening almost comically, Lee flung the window open and stepped aside as Leo jumped into his room, the Lion Guardian Beast taking up a decent amount of space in the room. "Now then, would you care to tell me where you were all day? A Host and their Guardian Beast are supposed to have an unbreakable bond, an inseparable connection to one another, yet not only did you lie to me about us meeting together-"

"I didn't lie, I was delayed!"

"Don't interrupt!" Leo bellowed, his roar of anger causing the light in the room to flicker. "You said you would do something, and you did not: that is the very definition of a lie!" Lee felt tempted to actually give him the official definition of a lie from a dictionary, but held off upon seeing how angry the Guardian was. "I placed trust in your decision to wait and tell you vital information on our enemy, and you shattered it! Time has been wasted, and now Mithras could very well be several steps ahead of us. He is not to be underestimated; he will take every opportunity he can to advance whatever his plan is, and now we've practically handed him several hours' worth of time to prepare!"

"Are you sure you're not just overreacting?" Lee flinched at Leo's glare, but steeled himself a moment later. He was really starting to get tired of getting yelled at, and if it wasn't for the fact that his uncle was currently taking a nap in the living room he'd start yelling back. "Look. I don't even know what Mithras is planning – and yes, I know that's what you were going to tell me today, so don't start yelling – so excuse me if I don't have the same crazed sense of urgency that you have. Hell, did you ever consider that this is a bit much for me to take in? I was just a normal guy the other day, now I'm some kind of warrior fighting an evil emperor."

"You agreed to take up the fight against Mithras."

"And I will!" Taking a breath to calm himself down, Lee continued, "But I've got other responsibilities besides that. You know why I wasn't at the park today? I was meeting the man who brought me here. The man who paid for my plane ticket here, who offered to pay for all my living expenses, and who was best friends with my parents. He wanted to see me so badly that he rescheduled an important board meeting that was going to be held today, just so he could see his two best friends' son for the first time." He leaned forwards, coming face-to-muzzle with Leo. "If that man hadn't done that, I wouldn't have come here, and you wouldn't have me as a Host. All he wanted to do was see me, to say hello. I think that you owe him at least that much."

The two of them stayed that way for a while, neither flinching under the other's gaze until Leo's head jerked to the side suddenly. His eyes narrowed and his ears flattened against his skull. "I smell another creature, just like the one from yesterday," he said. "It's not far from here." Looking back at Lee, he saw the young man scribbling something down on a piece of paper. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving a note for my uncle," Lee snapped, his patience having finally wore thin. "He's letting me live here. I at least can tell him I'm going out for a little while." Leo looked away, mentally cursing himself.

"Fine. Just hurry. I don't want it getting away."


Fifteen minutes later, Lee and Leo were standing in front of an office building, staring up at the rooftop. "It's all the way up there, huh?" Lee asked, already dreading the trek up. "I don't suppose you can fly me up there."

"Not unless you wish to be electrocuted by pure lightning," Leo replied. "However, I fear that this is a trap. It has not left this spot since I first caught its scent, and there is no one around for it to attack." Closing his eyes, Leo tilted his head to the side and pondered on the best course of action. "Climbing the building itself would not be wise, as you would expend energy that could be otherwise be used to fight it. Still, we cannot just allow it to remain up there, as someone may stumble across-"

"It just jumped!"

"What!?" Snapping his eyes open, Leo looked up, eyes wide in shock as he saw a pitch black figure descending from the roof of the building, approaching them rapidly. "Lee, quickly!" he said before turning into a sphere of electricity and flying into Lee's chest. Instantly the belt formed around the young man's waist.

"Henshin!" he called, flicking open the lion's mouth. The belt roared as the golden wall of lightning formed in front of him, quickly washing over his body to form the armor of RaiLeon, his sword already in hand. He raised it just in time to block an attack from the monster, though it still managed to deliver a sharp kick to his chest as it jumped away, the light of a nearby street lamp revealing its form.

It was covered in jet black fur, dark as the night's sky. It was built like a normal human, with lean muscle showing beneath its skin, and resembled a panther. Any resemblance to a human ended, however, once one noticed the grayish-blue metal that was growing out of its body. Serrated blades extended from its wrists, the light of the lamp glinting malevolently off of their edges. Its feet were covered entirely in metal, with a blade emerging from the back of the leg acting almost like a heel. More metal covered its chest and upper arms. Its tail, which was flicking anxiously back and forth, had a long blade extending from the tip that would occasionally strike the ground with enough force to throw up a spray of sparks. The head had feline traits to it, and two blades curved out from the back of its head to the front. It regarded them both with cold, orange eyes.

"Panther…" Leo whispered. He was currently inside of Lee's mind, the best possible place to offer any sort of tactical support to his Host. It was almost as if he were floating in a vast void; whether or not that meant Lee was empty headed was unclear to him. At the moment, all the images Lee saw were transferring themselves directly to his own eyes, and he was not liking what stood before them at all.

"You know him?"

"Somewhat… He is the Guardian Beast of Blades. In the past, any weapon that would receive his blessing was a tool of destruction upon the battlefield. Men would fall like wheat to a sickle in the presence of such a blade." The lion growled slightly. "He was one of the many Guardian Beasts to be seen as a deity of war by humans because of this; I fear he was one of the few to let it get to his head. As a Guardian, there were few fighters more prideful and confident than he."

"So I should probably be careful when fighting him, is basically what you're saying." Lee flexed his free hand open and closed, shifting his stance to prepare for the fight. "Any advice you can give me on how to fight him?"

"Don't let him hit you."

Lee was about to reply back with a sarcastic comment when the former Guardian Beast let out a yowl of annoyance and lunged forwards, closing the distance between itself and the Golden Warrior with surprising speed. Lee barely managed to block a swipe from one of its wrist-blades with his sword, and quickly countered with a strike from his clawed gauntlet. The monster's other hand shot up and caught the punch, leaving the two in a brief deadlock. It was broken when the monster's bladed tail shot out from behind and raked itself across Lee's chest, throwing up a shower of sparks as it struck his armor.

"Ah!" Lee cried out, stumbling back in pain – and inadvertently leaving a perfect opening for the former Guardian Beast, who jumped forwards and delivered a strong kick to its opponent's chest. Lee fell to the ground, the wind driven from his body, and let out a cry as he rolled out of the bladed tail that was coming straight for his neck. Scrambling to his feet, he rushed the monster, swinging away with his sword as he tried to find an opening in its defenses. Every swing, however, was blocked or deflected by the monster's wrist blades; apparently, despite its transformation into a monster, the Panther Guardian Beast had retained its skill in combat. The fact that the bladed tail it possessed capable of acting as a third limb didn't help matters, as it constantly scored hits on Lee's armor.

Finally, with a growl, the monster lashed out with its tail and wrapped it around the blade of Lee's weapon. "What!?" Lee cried, shocked. He didn't have time to react as the monster wrenched the sword from his hand and threw it to the side with a flick of its tail. Growling, Lee backed away, eyes flicking back and forth between his discarded weapon and the monster that was slowly advancing towards him. "Leo, what do I do? I can't even get a hit in on it!"

"I'm honestly disappointed you haven't already figured out the solution." Leo snorted from within Lee's mind, and somehow the young man could perfectly picture the smirk that was on the lion's face. "Maybe you would be doing better had you came to the meeting today, as we had agreed upon."

"Is now really the time!?" Lee snapped, rolling to the side to avoid a tail slash from the monster. "Look, I did what I had to do. I've got other responsibilities!"

"Be that as it may, look where those other responsibilities have gotten you!"

"You can't actually be telling me that it's my fault that I'm fighting something stronger than me!" As the tail-blade came flying at him again, Lee let out roar of frustration and swung his gauntlet at it, trying to simply deflect it. He didn't notice the crackling electricity that had formed on the claws until the two weapons connected, a shower of sparks flying from the impact. For Lee, his arm was simply knocked away, but for his feline opponent, the effect was far more drastic.

The electricity from the gauntlet transferred into the monster's bladed tail, the metal acting as a perfect conductor. The monster let out a pained yelp as electricity ran throughout its body, aided by the metal that grew from its skin, paralyzing it.

Lee simply stared at the display in shock.

"It can't be that easy," he muttered, looking down at his gauntlet. It was normal again, no electricity running along the claws. "But if it really is…" He focused on the gauntlet, imagining the way it had acted previously. Sparks of yellow lightning began to flicker between the claws, and a moment later it was coated again in electricity, eliciting a cry of victory from the young man. "Alright, let's see how kitty likes getting clawed!"

The former Panther Guardian Beast had just recovered from its electrocution and was staggering to its feet when Lee pounced upon it, raking his charged claw across its chest. The monster howled in pain as electricity surged through its body again. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lee began unleashing a flurry of punches at the monster's head, each hit hard enough to make its head snap back, before finishing with an electrically-charged uppercut from his clawed gauntlet that knocked it off its feet. It landed on the ground in a heap, spasms wracking its body.

"Not bad… Now finish it!"

"I am, I am," Lee sighed, moving his hand down to his belt and flicking the lion's mouth up. "Time for you to hear me roar," he quipped as he reopened the lion's mouth.

"Lightning Charge!"

Electricity covered Lee's form as he crouched low to the ground, forming the lion-shaped golden aura around his body. Leaping into the air, Lee twisted around at the height of his jump and tucked in his left leg, right leg remaining extended. The energy covering his body amassed around his foot, forming a roaring lion's head, and with a savage cry he made impact, the resulting explosion lighting up the night.

Lee crouched low to the ground, panting. I'm really not used to this, he thought. If I'd had to fight that thing any longer, I don't think I'd have made it. Shaking his head, he moved to deactivate the transformation when something shot out of the flames. "Wha- Ah!" He barely managed to hit the ground as the object flew over him, striking the side of a nearby building with enough force to crack the wall. "What was that?" the young man asked as he got to his feet, staring into the smoke to see what had attacked him.

"Lee, there's another enemy!"

Just as Leo spoke, something struck Lee from behind, knocking him to the ground. A clawed hand roughly grabbed his shoulder and flipped him over; much to both Host and Guardian Beast's surprise, it was the former Panther Guardian Beast. There were places where its fur had been burnt off, revealing pale pink flesh beneath, but it otherwise appeared unharmed. With an angry hiss, it grabbed Lee by the throat and began to drag him along the ground, running faster and faster before finally throwing him into the air.

"How did that thing-"

Lee's question was cut off as a heavy weight slammed into his back, slamming him back into the ground with enough force that Lee swore he felt something break. Struggling to lift his head, his eyes widened in shock as he saw the monstrous panther walk up to stand beside another figure.

The figure was large and bulky, a sharp contrast to its sleeker partner. Thick, trunk-like legs supported its frame. Covering its lower legs were thick brown growths that looked similar to the pattern of a tortoise shell. Its torso was muscular, with a wide, powerful chest. Its chest and abdomen were covered by the same brown growth on its chest, exposing the deep green flesh on its sides. The arms were just as thick and powerful looking as the legs, with the brown growths coming from the shoulders and extending down to its elbows. In either of its four-fingered hands, it held a large, tortoise-shell shaped shield. The top of its head was entirely made of the brown growths, with dull yellow eyes that stared at Lee impassively.

"Tortoise as well!?" The panic in Leo's voice was palpable. "Lee, this is not a battle we can win, not as injured as you are. The Tortoise was the Guardian Beast of Shields, and was capable of making any shield nigh-impenetrable. If he and the Guardian Beast of Blades are working together… I can think of few combinations deadlier…"

Lee growled as he looked at the two monsters before him, standing in the flames. They looked down on him, and he could imagine the mockery in their eyes. Slowly, he pushed himself to a sitting position, crying out when he felt a stab of pain in his left arm. "Leo," he gasped, trying not to focus on the pain – his arm was injured, he was certain of it. Whether it was broken or not, he couldn't tell. "Leo… we have to keep fighting."

"What!? Lee, no! It's far too risky in your present condition! You don't have the experience needed to fight these two!"

"And I might never have it! But if I run, what's to stop them from following me anyway?" He staggered to his feet, cradling his left arm. "I can't lead them back home… Uncle Daisuke could get killed…"

"You'll get killed if you attempt to fight these two! Please, Lee, you have to run," Leo pleaded, only to grit his teeth together when he realized he simply wasn't reaching the young man. The fool will get himself killed. He's so young, so inexperienced… and so much like his predecessor. Sighing in defeat, the lion nodded. "Very well. We shall keep fighting, but first, you'll need to heal."

"And how do I do that?" The words had scarcely left Lee's mouth when a faint green light began to shine from the side of his belt. Looking down, he saw a small container that he hadn't noticed before. Opening it, he saw, to his surprise, the Core he had taken from the monster he'd fought yesterday. "Where did- Why is it-"

"The Guardian Beast within can lend us her powers. Place the Core in the belt and close it."

Lee nodded, still confused. Taking the Core, he placed it into the mouth of the lion and shut the lion's mouth.

"Moth! Spirit of Healing Spores!"

"'Healing Spores'?" Lee questioned, only to receive his answer as green energy began to fall from the sky and land on his body. Everywhere they touched, he immediately felt a wave of intense relief; even his arm no longer felt injured. "I feel great!" he declared after a few moments, flexing his left hand and taking pleasure in the fact that he felt no pain from it. As th last of the spores faded away, the lion's mouth popped open, the Core's light dimmer than it had been. Silently thanking it, Lee removed the Core and placed it back into the container. "I've got to say, I'm thankful for her help…though I'm still wondering how she's the Spirit of 'Healing Spores'…"

Leo was about to say something, when the panther monster, having finally had enough with waiting, screeched loudly and charged the Golden Warrior. Acting quickly, Lee dodged to the side, lashing out with a kick that caught the monster in the back and made it stumble forwards. As fate would have it, its foot landed directly on the handle of Lee's sword that had been discarded earlier in the fight, throwing it off balance and knocking it to the ground. "I think this is mine," Lee said as he picked the sword up and gave it a test swing.

A loud groan caught his attention, and he turned his head just in time to see the tortoise monster throw one of its shields at him. Raising his sword, he blocked it and the shield flew away. "You know, shields usually don't work that way," he quipped, only to stop short when another shield appeared in the monster's empty hand in a flash of light. "How is that fair!?"

An angry growl from below caught his attention, and he looked down to see that he'd accidentally stepped onto the panther monster's tail, pinning it to the ground. "Oh, shut up!" With a hiss, the monster slammed its palms into the ground and threw itself up, knocking Lee off of it. It turned around and aimed a high kick at his head, only for him to duck low and come up with a strong slash from his blade, scoring a deep gash across the metal chest of the monster. It yowled in pain and backed away, clutching at its injury.

Not willing to lose the advantage, Lee charged the monster, only for its ally to nearly punch his head off with one of its shields. Twisting to avoid another massive blow, he brought the sword down onto its arm. To his surprise, the blade simply bounced off as it hit one of the brown growths on its arm. The former Tortoise Guardian Beast simply grunted and backhanded Lee, who managed to recover his footing just as the panther monster leapt at him, all three of its blades bearing down on him. He blocked the attack and retaliated with a strike from his clawed gauntlet, hitting it where he'd injured it previously. It hissed and backed away, running into the monstrous tortoise behind hit.

For a moment, Lee actually felt slightly confident. Even if he couldn't hurt the big one, he'd already injured the other and he knew its weakness to electricity.

All hopes were shattered when the monsters began to laugh, a raspy chuckle from the panther and a bellowing guffaw from the tortoise. Crouching low to the ground, the panther suddenly flung itself straight up into the air. At the same time, the former Tortoise Guardian Beast reared both of its shields back, dark green energy surrounding the weapons. Lee took an involuntary step back as the former Panther Guardian Beast curled itself into a ball with its tail extended, and began to spin.

"Lee, move!" Leo shouted, realizing that they'd clearly underestimated the intelligence of these monsters. "It's a combination attack!"

"What!?"

Spinning faster and faster as it fell back to the ground, a black and silver glow began to envelop the monstrous panther. As it fell in front of its ally, the tortoise monster punched forwards with both of its shields, sending its partner flying forwards in a blur of green, black, and silver that struck Lee dead on.

Lee screamed in pain as he was flung back from the attack, the armor of RaiLeon vanishing as both Host and Guardian Beast fell to the ground unconscious.


Mithras watched with amusement as he saw the two monsters – Hell Beasts, Malrok had called them – perform their combined attack. "How interesting. I assumed these creatures were little more than simple beasts. Tell me, Malrok: where did the two of them learn how to fight like this?"

The sorcerer bowed low to the ground. "A simple adjustment I made to my spell after I learned of RaiLeon's existence. A simple mind is fine for following orders, but they can so often be trumped through wit. A boost in their intelligence is all that I gave them." Looking up at the screen, he smirked from beneath his hood. "It seems that my Hell Beasts have also gained some form of combat adaptability; even I hadn't planned on them using an attack such as that."

"This is ridiculous!" Zabon growled, his tail slamming against the ground in anger. The Draconian had finally left his forge, his chest uncharacteristically bare due to him repairing his armor. "Why should mindless beasts such as these two be allowed to have the honor of crushing that Guardian Beast and its Host? Those bastards ruined my armor – I should be the one to deal their deathblows, not them!"

"Perhaps if you spent less time fussing over your armor and more time actually strategizing, you would have," Malrok remarked. This earned a piercing glare from the Draconian, fire already beginning to escape from his jaws as he debated whether or not to roast the sorcerer then and there. A blinding flash of light from the screen, however, stopped him and instead he let out a scream of pain as he covered his eyes, while Malrok let out a cry of surprise and hid his face with a sleeve. "W-what is that!? Where did this light come from!?"

Mithras simply sat back on his throne seemingly unaffected by the brilliant glow, an amused chuckle escaping him. "It would seem we have all underestimated our foes," he remarked. Somehow, this light had managed to completely blind all of his Eyes in the area, flooding his throne room with its radiance. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the screens, returning the room to its normal state of lighting. "Malrok, assuming your monsters are still in one piece and are capable of returning, I want you to learn the name of who attacked them."

"M-milord? Whatever do you mean?" Malrok asked… a nearby pillar, still blind from looking directly into the light. "How are you sure they are being attacked?"

"Do you think an ally would have blinded my Eyes?" Mithras shook his head. "It would appear a new player has emerged in this game."

One with greater experience than our little RaiLeon, if I am right.


Both the Panther and Tortoise Hell Beasts were approaching the fallen pair, intent on finishing them off, when a voice from behind caught their attention.

"Two against one is hardly fair play."

"Light Charge!"

Turning around, they hissed/groaned in agony as a piercing light assaulted their eyes. Barely visible in the harsh backlight was a figure, a strange bow held in their hands.

A bow that was pointed at them.

"Allow me to even the odds."

And with that said, a beam of pure light fired from the bow, straight at the monsters.


Sorry for this one being shorter than the first. I'm aiming for all of the Chapters for this story to be in the ballpark of 10,000 words apiece. This one, though, was more of a Chapter to setup events for the future.

I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read this story. If you'd like to leave a review and give me a little feedback, a little critique, then it would be greatly appreciated. Whether you do or you don't, I hope you all have a wonderful day.